Ukrainian President Zelensky invites Putin to meet in Minsk

Tuesday, July 9, 2019 9:00:32 AM

In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron to hold a meeting in Belarus.

"And now, I want to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Do we need to talk? Yes, we do. I propose the following group for the conversation: me, you, the President of the USA, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Chancellor of Germany, the President of France. What about the place? I think Alexander Lukashenko will be happy to host us in Minsk. We do not change or renounce any diplomatic formats. We offer to talk because we need to talk, don't we?" said Zelensky.

Zelensky also said that he intends to discuss with Putin the question, "to whom does Crimea belong?" and "whose troops are present in Donbas?"

Earlier, the Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne, associated with Putin's friend Viktor Medvedchuk, announced that it was planning to hold a two-hour "Need to Talk" teleconference with Russia 1 TV Channel on July 12. It was inspired by the example of a teleconference between the USSR and the United States in 1985.

The Secretary of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Alexander Danyluk called such actions provocative and stressed that in this situation, Ukraine "should react confidently, without unnecessary emotions and panic." He added that the National Security Council is already working on resolving this issue.

The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine initiated an unscheduled meeting and urged the NSDC to impose sanctions against NewsOne and 112 Ukraine TV channels.

After winning the elections, Volodymyr Zelensky said he would meet with Putin only after the return of the occupied territories. He also promised to raise the issue of compensation for Crimea and the Donbas.